


Bring Me The Night

by LizardDisguise



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, I wrote it in one night, M/M, this is kinda rough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizardDisguise/pseuds/LizardDisguise
Summary: Amy, Blaze, and Rouge force Shadow to come along with them to a live performance of the famous pop-rock group Dreamboat Express.Shadow by all means should have hated it. What happened?(A.K.A: shadow has a massive gay crisis)
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	Bring Me The Night

There was no combination of words that Shadow hated more than Amy’s dreadfully cheerful “You’re coming with us!”

“No, I’m not,” Shadow growled, folding his hands across his chest from where he sat on a soft red couch in the living room of his and Rouge’s shared apartment. Amy, Blaze, and Rouge all sat on the plush rug just in front of the couch; and that was mainly because Shadow had decided to sit on it sideways with his legs spread out so nobody could sit beside him.

“Oh, darling, don’t waste your breath,” Rouge piped in, “We already bought you a ticket.”

Rouge, Amy, and Blaze were going to see a live concert that evening. On it’s own? Not an issue. But Shadow being roped in _was_ an issue. Shadow hated crowds, big events, and could care less about crappy pop music. Boy bands were really not his genre of preference; yet here he was, his roommate and her friends trying to convince him to go see a Dreamboat Express concert. Which, he figured, is why they didn’t bother to tell him about the concert until the day of.

“I don’t want to spend my evening listening to garbage,” Shadow pressed.

“Have you even listened to their music before?” Amy asked.

“I don’t need to.”

Amy and Rouge laughed, causing Shadow to roll his eyes. His only solace was in Blaze’s silence; she was always much more subdued than Rouge or her pink-quilled girlfriend.

“Only gay people listen to that band,” Shadow remarked; not in any sort of derogatory way, simply something he’d observed.

“Yeah,” Rouge said with a wide grin, “That’s why we’re bringing you!”

He really set himself up for that one, huh.

“Really, though,” Amy said with a gentle smile, “I think you’ll like Dreamboat Express, Shadow. Their music is a mix of pop _and_ rock. It’s a really cool blend. They write all their music themselves, so it’s all genuine stuff, too. Not overly-produced crap like Justin Beaver.”

“And their drummer is pretty cute,” Rouge mused. It was no secret Rouge had the hots for the skilled drummer, a muscular echidna with vibrant red fur. Why someone would want to crush on a famous person was far beyond Shadow’s comprehension; there was no way anything would come of it.

“If I were straight, I think I would have been all over their frontman,” Amy said. “He’s pretty attractive, for a guy.”

Shadow zoned out as the three girls began gossiping about the musical trio. Chaos, it was annoying, how infatuated people could become with musicians. Who cared? Shadow sure didn’t.

“We should start getting ready,” Blaze announced.

As everyone else began getting ready, Shadow remained planted on the couch. He had been planning on a lazy evening, maybe a bad film noir movie and some ice cream, bundled up in warm blankets. He had no intention of even considering getting up on his own free will.

Which was why, when Rouge emerged from her bedroom wearing a form-fitting black dress with a slit up one leg and heels higher than could possibly be comfortable, she had to forcibly yank Shadow off the couch and drag him into his room.

“Let’s see, here…” Rouge mumbled as she sifted through Shadow’s closet. “Hm. I need to take you shopping for something nice sometime soon.”

“Not interested.”

“Oh, come on!” Rouge laughed, pulling a white button-up shirt and some slacks out and laying them on Shadow’s bed, “It would be fun. It’s nice to feel fancy every once in a while.”

A red tie was tossed onto the bed beside the other clothes, then some black dress shoes. All together, it was the kind of outfit that he would wear to an important G.U.N meeting, not a shitty pop concert.

“Now, get dressed,” Rouge practically commanded on her way out of his room, “and I mean it. If you’re not out of here in ten minutes, I’m coming in.”

The door swung shut, leaving him alone with the clothes his roommate had picked out for him. With an annoyed sigh, he reluctantly put on the shirt and pants. Through the door, he could hear Rouge, Amy, and Blaze complimenting each other on their outfits in the living room. Disgusting.

He glanced over at the shoes and tie Rouge had picked out for him, picked them up, then tossed them haphazardly back into the closet; instead opting to wear his usual rocket skates. As an afterthought, he threw on a black leather jacket. He took a deep breath then exited his bedroom, making his way through the short hallway and towards the others.

“Ooooo!” Amy exclaimed when she saw Shadow, “You look like you’re attending a punk rock concert, though.”

“You clean up nice,” Rouge said. Her eyes flicked down to his shoes, then back up to him, then simply smiled and shook her head.

When Shadow didn’t respond, Rouge took it upon herself to usher everyone out of the apartment and out to the parking lot, where everyone squeezed into her small, but stylish, car. Blaze and Amy sidled in close together in the backseat, and Rouge took the driver’s seat. Shadow stood on the pavement, car door open, glaring at the empty leather seat.

“I’m not getting in your car,” he said.

“Shadow, stop being so difficult,” Rouge chided with a roll of her eyes.

“At least let me take my bike.”

“Can I trust that you won’t just ditch as soon as we get separated on the road?”

“…”

Rouge laughed. “Okay, okay, take your bike. But if we don’t see you at the venue, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

Shadow nodded, then slammed the car door shut, walking a few parking spots over to his sleek black motorcycle. He hated Rouge’s car; it was far too cramped and stuffy in there. On his bike, he could at least enjoy the ride to the miserable location, the cool evening wind blowing through his quills.

He revved up the engine and pulled out onto the street, Rouge’s car just behind him. As they took the nearest highway entrance, he could hear the sound of a pumping bass—just another reason why he was glad to take his bike. They were most certainly hyping themselves up for the concert by listening to Dreamboat Express music, and he wanted no part of that.

So, he hit the gas, trying to pull a few cars away from Rouge to get away from the dreadful noise. In his rearview mirror, he could see Rouge laughing.

It was only moments later that Rouge pulled up in the lane just beside his and rolled down the window.

“I could end you in an instant!” Shadow yelled over the wind and blasting music, and his roommate only laughed more as she rolled up her window and, thankfully, turned down the volume.

The venue, when they arrived, was _massive_. Chaos, this was the last place he wanted to be. Club Rouge paled by comparison.

Reunited in the parking lot, the four of them made their way into the concert venue, handing their tickets to the unfortunate underpaid teenager that was responsible for doing nothing but taking tickets from overexcited fans. 

They found their seats and Shadow was immediately uncomfortable. It was crowded, the seats squeezed as close as they possibly could to one another. It was loud, what with all the Mobians chattering excitedly and occasionally screaming in excitement. And the lights were so bright; he knew they’d dim once the show started, but that brief moment of solace would certainly not last long once whatever pyrotechnics and stage lights came on.

If it wasn’t already bad enough, Rouge had gotten front-row seats.

The pre-show was played by some indie band he’d never heard of. Their music was okay, he supposed, but he’d heard better. It was a miracle that band was even able to score a pre-show for a group as famous as Dreamboat Express.

Shadow couldn’t help but feel pity for the musical group; nobody was there for them.

The indie band dragged on for forty-five whole minutes. He could’ve made it through half of a crappy movie at that point. Blaze, Amy, and Rouge were all standing in front of their seats; as were most others, but Shadow remained seated. What was there to look at? It was just music. He was perfectly fine with sitting and staring directly at the side of the stage.

“They’re pretty good,” Blaze said to the others over the music, and Rouge and Amy nodded in agreement.

“Meh,” Shadow grunted, “They’re not bad, but I’ve heard better.”

When the lights faded to complete darkness, the entire venue was enveloped in silence. For a moment, Shadow felt more at ease. It was a moment of respite, like a breath of fresh air.

“Now, for what you’ve all been waiting for,” A voice called over the speakers, “Dreambooooooat Express!!!”

The crowds went WILD. Shadow clamped his hands over his ears and hunched over as everyone around him _screamed_ and _hollered_ , a pained expression on his face. His heart pounded in his chest, oh, how he hated things like this…

An acoustic guitar riff reverberated through the massive room, mixing in with the shouting fans. It was percussive, almost, complete with rhythmic strumming and the slap of a fist against the body of the guitar. The lights were still down completely, because, ugh, what kind of pop band wouldn’t have a dramatic entrance?

Rouge reached down and yanked Shadow to his feet just before a spotlight illuminated three figures on the stage. If they’d had any other seating arrangement, Shadow would certainly not have been able to see the band members in such clarity, but there they were just in front of him.

A firey red echidna, who played a driving drum beat familiar to the few seconds of music he’d heard as Rouge rolled down her window on the highway;

A golden fox, playing and singing supporting melodies on a grand piano rigged with microphones;

And a cobalt blue hedgehog, with a guitar strapped over his shoulder, singing, his voice the most sickeningly sweet, like honey and syrup, like a field of wildflowers blowing in a gentle breeze. He sang like he didn’t have a single care in the world—a free spirit, someone who clearly enjoyed what he was doing. And, clearly, he thrived off the attention.

Shadow was not expecting to be this captivated. The music, just as he had been told, was a unique blend of pop and rock; and once the song picked up the frontman ditched his acoustic guitar for a vivid red electric.

Once the electric guitar came out, Shadow swore he was a changed man.

And when the frontman made direct eye contact with him, he practically melted.

Song after song, Shadow watched the hedgehog. His deft fingers flying across the guitar’s strings, the way he danced, moved his body… 

The way he looked straight at Shadow once more and winked as they performed a slow love song.

Shadow had to sit down again. He needed to take a breather. He hid his face in his hands, hiding the blush that was most certainly vivid and evident to anyone even in the weird ever-changing concert lighting.

But he couldn’t stay seated for long. He was missing the view.

“I’m gonna go grab us some food,” Amy said between songs, “You all want anything?”

Whatever food requests the others put in, Shadow was barely paying attention.

“Shadow?” Rouge’s voice cut through his lovestruck daze, “Food?”

“Hmph, yeah, sure, whatever.” Shadow vaguely remembered hearing the others snickering in response to that.

When Amy came back, a hot dog covered in chili was handed to him. He took a bite out of it, but it really wasn’t all that great. It was like the mediocre indie band that performed before the main event.

He wondered what the frontman’s lips tasted like.

Shadow gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, setting the hot dog down on his seat behind him before mumbling something about the bathroom and running off.

Thankfully, since the concert was still in progress, the bathrooms were empty, more or less. Shadow splashed cold water on his face and tugged at his quills. He needed to get his act together.

This whole thing was just so… overwhelming. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

When Shadow finally decided to return to the concert, he sat down in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that would help. But it didn’t, because that damn singer’s voice still wormed its way into his ears. It was just too beautiful, like a siren to a sailor.

When the concert ended, Shadow was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He didn’t want the night to end, but he wanted nothing more than to go home and get that hedgehog out of his head. He wondered how many hours of laying awake and daydreaming it would take to fall asleep.

The girls were all happily chatting as they walked through the parking lot. 

“Did you like the concert, Shadow?” Amy asked, cutting through his thoughts.

“It was fine.”

“Ha! Told you girls he’d like it!”

Shadow grunted. He watched as they squeezed like sardines back into Rouge’s car. Rouge called out a quick “See you at home!” before pulling out of the parking lot, speeding towards the highway.

Shadow climbed atop his bike and started the engine.

Well, he tried to.

The bike, curse his luck, didn’t want to start. It wheezed out some smoke then died, and Shadow groaned loudly in frustration.

As the parking lot emptied, Shadow attempted to troubleshoot what was going on. He wasn’t out of gas, his battery was just fine… Engine troubles, perhaps?

“Having trouble?” A familiar voice called out, and Shadow whirled around to find himself face-to-face with the cobalt hedgehog.

“Uh—”

“Yo, Tails,” The hedgehog called over his shoulder, “Wanna give this guy a hand?”

The fox pianist appeared into view with a wide grin and immediately set to work on Shadow’s bike.

“Hey, careful—” Shadow said nervously, not liking other people (especially pop stars) getting their hands all over his motorcycle.

“Don’t worry,” Blue said, “Tails is an expert mechanic.”

“Do you… help everyone who has car troubles?”

“Hm,” Blue hummed (chaos, he wished he knew the guy’s name), “Only the attractive ones.”

Shadow froze, staring at the hedgehog with wide eyes. The hedgehog simply laughed, and oh no, his laugh was like a song itself.

Why did his bike have to break down tonight??

“What’s your name?” Blue asked.

“Shadow.”

“Shadow,” the singer repeated, “I like it. It suits you.”

“Wh…” Shadow hesitated. This was going to be awkward. “What’s… your name?”

“You don’t know my name?” He asked with a laugh.

“No,” Shadow looked away from him, “I’ve, uh, never heard your music before. My friends dragged me here.”

“Seems like bad friends to ditch you when your bike broke down,” he commented.

“They didn’t know.”

He hummed in response, tucking his hands in the pockets of his white sequined jacket. “Sonic,” he said.

Sonic.

Sonic, Sonic, Sonic. It had a nice ring to it.

“It suits you,” Shadow said, and Sonic grinned.

“What’d you think of the concert, Shadow?” Sonic asked. Shadow regretted giving Sonic his name; it sounded too good in his voice.

“It was good,” he replied, “I was… surprised. Pop isn’t really my thing.”

“I figured as much, leather jacket, edgy aura. You seem like a hard rock kind of guy.”

“Yeah.”

“So am I,” Sonic said with a shrug, “But pop’s what sells.”

Shadow shot him an inquisitive look, but before he could say anything, his motorcycle’s engine roared to life, and the two-tailed fox shot him a thumbs-up.

“All done!” He said. “Just a minor engine issue. Should run just like new, now.”

“Thank you,” Shadow replied, climbing onto his bike. “I should, uh, I should head home.”

“It was nice meeting you, Shadow.”

“Likewise.” Shadow couldn’t bring himself to hit the gas. His friends were certainly wondering where he was, but he didn’t want to leave.

“Wanna go for a ride?” Shadow asked before his brain was able to filter it out.

“Oh,” Sonic said, surprised, “Um. You’re not gonna, like, kidnap me and do something weird, are you?”

“Never,” Shadow said.

“Okay, it’s just, it’s happened before. This one tapir knocked me out and then tied me to his bed and wanted to act out fanfiction with me, it was creepy as hell.”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to,” Shadow said, “Sorry for asking.”

“No, I—I feel like I can trust you.” He climbed up behind Shadow, and Shadow handed him his helmet. He didn’t have a spare; he’d never needed one, so he figured he’d be fine without one for just one ride.

And they took off. They drove down the highway, the popular singer whooping and hollering as Shadow drove way faster than he should have. They drove for a short while, taking a wide loop around where the venue was. Shadow felt way happier that night than he had in quite a long time, the literal ray of sunshine riding behind him casting his ethereal light upon Shadow’s soul.

Shadow pulled back into the venue’s parking lot. Sonic disembarked.

“That was fun,” He said with a wide smile, “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before.”

“I’m glad you… enjoyed it.” Shadow was glad that the dim streetlights that illuminated the parking lot didn’t reveal how brightly he was blushing. Chaos, he was a mess.

Then, if the night couldn’t get much worse (or better), Sonic leaned in and brushed his thumb against Shadow’s cheek. The distance between them closed, their lips touched.

It certainly wasn’t a brief kiss, either. Shadow, still atop his bike, leaned down just slightly into the kiss, and the band’s frontman wrapped his arms over his shoulders. They didn’t part until they remembered to breathe.

They stared into each other’s eyes, lost, captivated, until Tails’ voice rung out.

“Sonic, where are you? We need to go!”

“Ah,” Sonic nearly whispered, “That’s my cue. Thanks for a wonderful evening, Shadow.”

He ran off before Shadow could get a word in. So, he didn’t let himself think into it any further, pulling out of the parking lot and taking the quickest route home.

“Where were you?” Rouge interrogated when he entered the apartment.

“My bike broke down,” Shadow said.

“Something tells me there’s more to the story,” She replied with a grin, but Shadow ignored her, making a beeline for his room and slamming his door shut.

As he took off his concert clothes, he found in his pocket a tiny slip of paper. On it was a ten-digit number, the words “Call me!” and Sonic’s signature.


End file.
